- NM: Lawmakers to blast out subpoenas in Epstein investigation
Source: NBC News
“New Mexico lawmakers said Monday they are demanding documents from an array of government and private institutions as the first major step in their effort to tell the full story of what Jeffrey Epstein did in the state — and whether any other people should be prosecuted for crimes there. A committee known as the New Mexico Truth Commission expects to send subpoenas this week to 14 targets. … Epstein, who bought a ranch outside Santa Fe in 1993 and typically visited several times a year, was never charged with crimes in New Mexico, despite allegations of sex crimes dating back decades. At least 10 women have alleged that Epstein groomed or abused them at the 10,000-acre ranch starting in the mid-1990s, an NBC News review of court testimony, lawsuits and other records found.” (06/01/26)
- Kenya: High Court orders regime to release details of Ebola facility
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Kenya’s High Court has ordered the government to disclose details of a proposed United States-linked Ebola quarantine facility, a day after hundreds of people took to the streets in the central town of Nanyuki to protest about the planned site. The Reuters news agency said two people died from gunshot wounds during Monday’s unrest, citing protest organiser Patrick Wahome and a security source. The court extended conservatory orders stopping the establishment of any Ebola quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya and barred the admission of individuals exposed to the virus.” (06/02/26)
- NYC: Tenant disarms burglar, kills him with his own knife
Source: New York Daily News
“A burglar was stabbed to death with his own knife by the tenant he was trying to rob after being caught breaking into a Brooklyn apartment, the Daily News has learned. The tenant, who was stabbed in the neck during the clash, is not expected to be charged because he acted in self defense, law enforcement sources said. … When the tenant came out of the bathroom, he caught the stranger red-handed, stealing two cell phones, a laptop and other belongings, the tenant says. …[Dan] Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek during the struggle, then whipped a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant said. The tenant managed to disarm Costume and stab him in his thigh and lower back with the crook’s own knife, sources said.” (06/01/26)
- Ukraine war: Russian forces launch large drone, missile attack
Source: Reuters
“Russian drones and missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities early on Tuesday. At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the assault which also hit Dnipro and Kharkiv, authorities said. Last week, the Kremlin warned that it intended ‘systematic strikes’ on targets in Kyiv in response to a drone attack on a dormitory in Ukraine’s Russian-held region of Luhansk, which killed 21. Ukraine denied the attack. … Russian regions also came under attack. The Ilsky oil refinery, in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, caught fire after a drone attack, local authorities said on Telegram on Tuesday.” (06/02/26)
- Trump reins in Netanyahu over Lebanon after Iranian regime threatens to quit talks
Source: Axios
“President Trump on Monday hit the brakes on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to bomb Hezbollah targets in Beirut after Iran threatened to abandon its negotiations with the U.S. over Israel’s actions in Lebanon. An Israeli official told Axios the planned strikes on Beirut would not be happening. … Iranian officials told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency that no talks with the U.S. would take place until Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon, and threatened retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz and possibly ‘other fronts.’ Hours later, Trump spoke with Netanyahu. He released a Truth Social post afterward claiming Israel and Hezbollah would stop attacking each other.” (06/01/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/06/01/trump-netanyahu-lebanon-israel-bomb-beirut
- UK: Regime releases second batch of files on Epstein pal’s appointment as US ambassador
Source: The Hindu [India]
“The U.K. Government released a vast trove of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as U.S. Ambassador, in a move that threatens to cause fresh damage to Keir Starmer’s faltering premiership. More than 1,500 pages of documentation were published on the British government’s website just after 2 p.m. local time. They include emails, text messages and other exchanges between government ministers, aides and Mr. Mandelson in the run-up to his appointment as U.S. Envoy, a post he held from February to September 2025. The release resurfaces a saga that has weakened and embarrassed Mr. Starmer over the nine months since Bloomberg News exposed the extent of Mr. Mandelson’s ties with the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.” (06/01/26)
- US court upholds injunction against Trump policy banning transgender troops
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A United States court of appeals has ruled that a policy under President Donald Trump to expel transgender troops from the military was a violation of the Constitution. But Monday’s decision was a split one among the three-judge panel of the US appeals court for the District of Columbia. One judge, Robert Wilkins, an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama, upheld a lower court ruling rejecting the Trump administration’s policy as it pertains to already enlisted service members. A second judge – Judith Rogers, who was picked by former Democratic President Bill Clinton – agreed with his opinion, but only in part. She felt it should extend to those who seek to enlist, too. And the third judge, Trump pick Justin Walker, issued a dissent questioning the court’s ability to second-guess US military policy.” (06/01/26)
- US DOJ, amid uproar, says it will abide by court ruling that temporarily paused “Anti-Weaponization Fund”
Source: ABC News
“The Justice Department issued a statement Monday saying it will abide by a district judge’s ruling last week that ordered the temporary freezing of the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund.’ The statement came amid reports that the administration was backing away from the controversial fund. … Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that they not only want the White House to drop the fund, but also provide assurances that it won’t be revived later. … The judge in the Eastern District of Virginia had only ordered the department to temporarily freeze the fund, and barred it from making any payments while the judge considered legal arguments in a lawsuit brought against the fund. President Donald Trump, speaking with ABC News'[s] Jonathan Karl on Monday, said he will respect the court’s ruling.” (06/01/26)
- Nigeria: Obi to run for president again after opposition split
Source: Reuters
“Nigerian politician Peter Obi said he would run for president again in January after winning his party’s nomination, setting up another contest between incumbent Bola Tinubu and a divided opposition. Obi was declared winner of the Nigeria Democratic Congress primary on Sunday, less than a month after quitting an alliance that had tried to set up a single opposition challenger. The acceptance from Obi — who came third in the last election after galvanizing young voters — hit hopes among some opposition backers that he might return to the coalition. It prepares the ground for a re-run of 2023’s three-way contest that is likely to test whether public anger over rising living costs and insecurity can translate into votes against Tinubu, or whether the anti-government vote will once again be split.” (06/01/26)
- Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker banned as the UK’s free speech backslide continues
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Angel Eduardo“Like any country, the British government can exercise broad discretion when it comes to who it decides to let into its borders. There is currently no proof that Uygur’s and Piker’s views on Israel were the motivating factor behind their visa revocations, but if they were, it’s yet more evidence of the UK’s backsliding on free speech in recent years. Remember the UK police database tracking ‘non-crime hate incidents?’ Or the 12,000 people arrested in the UK in 2023 for their online speech? And who can forget the UK government’s ominous and Orwellian ‘Think before you post’ warning on social media back in 2024? Perhaps most disappointingly, the banning of scheduled speakers from entering your country also betrays an unwillingness or inability to engage with ideas and arguments on their merits.” (06/01/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/cenk-uygur-and-hasan-piker-banned-uks-free-speech-backslide-continues
- The Case Against Mass Deportation
Source: Checks & Balances
by Ilya Somin“The Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts are a cruel, violent affront to the values of our nation.” (06/01/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/the-case-against-mass-deportation
- Time to Move on from the Daylight Saving Time Obsession
Source: Independent Institute
by William F Shughart II“With the apparent support of President Donald Trump, Congress may soon pass legislation allowing states to adopt misleadingly named daylight saving time year-round. In fact, DST — now in effect from early March until early November — doesn’t save anything. Clocks merely advance an hour, shifting sunlight from the morning to the evening. The length of the day doesn’t change a single nanosecond. … Permanent daylight saving time holds a false promise of energy savings, bustling stores, and enhanced social welfare. The idea backfired in 1964 and will fail again if the Sunshine Protection Act is included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act.” (06/01/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/01/move-on-from-the-daylight-saving-time-obsession/
- The Gulf’s Bad Gamble
Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi“The recent war with Iran has been fought largely without the support of traditional European allies as well as aspirational Asian ones. Middle Eastern allies, however, have been far more willing partners. Israel is the most notable, but the Gulf states should not escape notice. They spent the last several decades sidling up to Western governments and capital, an approach that seemed broadly successful. They were able to maintain just enough interest in radical Islam to keep their people at bay, which meant the system broadly worked. But the most recent gamble of lowkey support for the war was one too far. The Gulf states planned on America taking out Iran and shielding them from the aftermath, and instead learned their place in the pecking order was far lower than imagined.” (06/01/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-gulfs-bad-gamble/
- Government works so well!
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“As we are in the heat of the binneal Primary Season, while the ‘soft’ ceasefire in the Ami-Iran War staggers on, while there are rumors of a ceasefire in this phase of the Lebanese Conflict, our minds of course turn to the wonders and benefits of government. If we are honest (and love God and/or liberty), it is a pretty short list. And nothing on the list is anywhere close to balancing the immense cost and negative attributes that government enjoys.” (06/01/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/06/01/government-works-so-well/
- Trump Isn’t Just After Undocumented Immigrants — He Wants 100 Million Americans Purged, Too
Source: The UnPopulist
by David J Bier“The Supreme Court will soon rule in a case that will decide the future of birthright citizenship. The case has become more significant than ever because some officials are now openly advocating for ethnic cleansin — —mass removals of tens of millions of U.S.-born Americans based on their ancestry. In barely a year, the right has moved from the already controversial mass deportation of all undocumented immigrants to mass deportation of Americans. The 14th Amendment, drafted in part to prevent ethnic cleansing, should stop it. Whether it will is now up to the Supreme Court.” (06/01/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trump-isnt-just-after-undocumented
- Trump’s Cotton Bailout Is Another Sign His Tariffs Aren’t Working
Source: Reason
by Tosin Akintola“On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Great American Cotton Plan, a protectionist initiative to subsidize American cotton farmers. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the plan is necessary to help domestic growers who are being ‘crushed by rising costs, unfair foreign competition, and a flood of cheap synthetic products.’ … Given the government’s penchant for propping up struggling sectors, it’s no surprise that the industry is receiving this bailout. But it’s not ‘unfair foreign competition’ or ‘trade distortions’ that are causing America’s cotton industry to falter. Over the past decade, 84 percent of domestically produced cotton has been exported on average, which suggests that trade is going well for farmers. Instead, it’s the president’s own policies.” (06/01/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/01/trumps-cotton-bailout-is-another-sign-his-tariffs-arent-working/
- Financial Surveillance Is Expanding Before Our Eyes
Source: Cato Institute
by Nicholas Anthony“Most Americans have felt the pain of inflation in recent years. However, what they don’t often see is that inflation also erodes financial privacy. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) adjusts its penalties for inflation, but it does not adjust reporting thresholds. In the most egregious case, the $10,000 reporting threshold now used for currency transaction reports (CTRs) has not been changed since the number was first established in 1945 by an executive order. That’s equal to around $180,000 today. When the Bank Secrecy Act was ultimately passed in 1970, you could buy two new Corvettes for $10,000. Today, you could spend all of that on just the engine. In practice, that means the Bank Secrecy Act regime is swallowing up more transactions every year as inflation decreases the value of the dollar. No bills are passed; no regulations are open to the public. Yet, the wheel is turning, and financial surveillance increases without any checks or balances.” (06/01/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/financial-surveillance-expanding-our-eyes
- Lists, Damn Lists, and Critical Correctness
Source: Quillette
by Dave Thompson“Love them or hate them, lists are now firmly established — along with cats and porn — among the apex predators of the modern internet.” (06/01/26)
- Who Should Set Prices?
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Walter Block“If you are in sync with meddlesome government bureaucrats, you probably believe that price gouging is profoundly evil. That charging higher prices than normal, especially during emergencies, is an economic abomination. That any seller who does this is taking advantage of people who are in precarious economic circumstances. When a storm hits, or a flood, or a tornado, heavy snow, ice, the closing of the Hormuz Strait, many of us will be without gas for our car, food, medical help, or other such necessities. Yet we face jacked-up prices to fulfill these needs. Just when we need them the most, these things are more expensive. To anyone who doesn’t understand basic economics, this seems outrageous and unfair. But to those who do understand supply and demand, it makes sense.” (06/01/26)
- The impending Republican collapse
Source: Washington Examiner
by Timothy P Carney“Republicans are on the verge of collapse, and it’s mostly President Donald Trump dragging them down. This may surprise the observer who just watched Trump knock off a handful of dissidents in Indiana’s Republican primaries and Sen. John Cornyn in Texas. But Trump is less popular with voters than he has ever been. Why? Part of the problem is standard mid-term woes, especially for a second-term president. Part of the problem is Trump’s ill-considered war in Iran and the subsequent increase in gas prices. Trump family self-enrichment probably pays a role, too. What does it mean for the GOP? It likely means a tsunami election in the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats taking the U.S. House and gaining seats in the U.S. Senate while also winning state-level elections. … Republicans should also be worried about today’s bad vibes carrying over to 2028.” (06/01/26)
- It’s Ideology, Stupid
Source: Persuasion
by Matt Johnson“Why Huntington’s clash of civilizations thesis is even more wrong today than it was in 1993.” (06/01/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/samuel-huntington-is-still-wrong
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/01/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Ghalibaf: Iran To Confront Israel If No Lebanon Truce, US and Iran Trade More Attacks, and More.” (06/01/26)
- Real Unity, episode 15
Source: Free the People
“Have Americans Healed from the Pandemic? | Lauren Noone.” (06/01/26)
- Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/01/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“To Baptize the State w/John Weeks.” (06/01/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/to-baptize-the-state-w-john-weeks/
- Reason Roundtable, 06/01/26
Source: Reason
“Why Socialism Won’t Deliver Government Efficiency.” (06/01/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/01/why-socialism-wont-deliver-government-efficiency/
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 06/01/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump Continues to Test Limits of Iran Ceasefire, How Will Tehran Respond?” (06/01/26)